About the Archdiocese

In 1842 Rome subdivided the vast diocese of Sydney thereby creating the diocese of Adelaide and Bishop Francis Murphy (1842-1858) was appointed as the first Bishop of Adelaide and consecrated in Sydney on 8th September 1844.

Adelaide remained remained a Suffragan of Sydney until 1887 when following a recommendation from the Bishop's Plenary Council of 1885, Adelaide was made an Archdiocese by Rome. The documents arrived in Australia in 1887 and Adelaide’s fourth Bishop, Bishop Christopher Reynolds, became the first Archbishop on 10th May that same year.

The Diocese of Port Augusta became a separate diocese on the same day Adelaide became a Metropolitan Archdiocese, and the new [Pt Augusta] diocese then became a province of the Archdiocese of Adelaide.

In 1951 the seat of the Port Augusta Diocese was moved from Port Augusta to Port Pirie, and became part of the Port Pirie Diocese; Port Pirie is a Suffragan Diocese of Adelaide.

Archbishop Philip Wilson became the eighth Archbishop of Adelaide on the 3rd. December 2001 and resigned on the 30th July, 2018.

Following Archbishop Wilson's resignation, former Auxiliary Bishop Greg O'Kelly SJ and current Bishop of Port Pirie, was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Adelaide Archdiocese on the 3rd June, 2018.

The Archdiocese of Adelaide, covers an area of 105,000 sq. km in the south of the state.